Lair of the Lion

throat.
    Isabella hurried to her bedchamber to change her clothes. Her appearance still revealed too much evidence of Nicolai's possession, although she feared it showed more in her eyes than in her clothes. When she was satisfied she had chosen garb that wouldn't arouse suspicion—her riding outfit—she made her way to the lower story to locate Betto. He immediately provided her with instructions on how to find the stables. He offered her an escort, which she politely declined, wanting some time to herself to be able to clear her head and think. The gloom of her sentence was beginning to weigh heavily on her shoulders, and she needed breathing room.
    Isabella inhaled the fresh, crisp air, grateful she was outdoors. The stables were inside the outer wall but some distance from the palazzo. She drew her cloak around her and stepped into the path, trodden by many servants and soldiers, leading toward the city. She followed the trail until it veered away from the direction she wanted to take. The thought of the city pulled at her, but she turned toward the stables. It had been too long since she had seen to her mare. The path to the stables had been tamped down by many feet, but it wasn't as wide or well traveled as the one leading toward the city, and the snow seemed to fall into her shoes no matter how carefully she walked.

    Before she could enter the long building housing the horses, she caught sight of men walking their steeds back and forth through the fields. Each of the animals had cloth tied around its eyes and hooves. Some were sidestepping nervously, and others were tossing their heads in a fractious manner. The men reassured them, talking quietly, patting them as they paced back and forth and circled the field continuously.
    Intrigued, Isabella wandered closer, careful to stay well back from the action. Someone shouted, waved a hand, and pointed toward a young horse that was rearing and snorting, its handler clearly having trouble coping with its fears. At the shouted instructions, the soldier took a firmer grip on the bridle, settling the animal, talking soothingly. Isabella recognized Sergio Drannacia directing the activities.
    She waited on the edge of the field until he noticed her.
    _
    At once his face lit up. He said something to the man beside him and began to stride toward her.
    As he drew near, she smiled and waved. "Sergio! What is it you're doing with the horses?
    Why do you have wraps on their feet, and why do you cover their eyes so?"
    He hurried up to her. His handsome uniform accented his boyish good looks. "Isabella, what a wonderful surprise." Beaming at her, he took her hand and brought it gallantly to his lips. "What are you doing wandering around out here?"
    She withdrew her hand and moved around him to watch the horses being walked or ridden up and down the field. "I wanted to visit my mare in the stable. Betto assured me she was well cared for, but I missed her. Mio fratello, Lucca, gave her to me, and right now she's all I have left of mia famiglia." Her voice was sad as she gazed out over the fields.
    "Come watch," Sergio invited, taking her elbow to escort her. "We're training the horses for battle. We cannot have a beautiful woman feeling low on such a day as this."
    "Aren't the horses already trained? They were prepared when we attempted to leave the valley, were they not?"
    He shrugged. "It was a bad experience for them. We try to raise them with the scent and sounds of the lions to give us more of an advantage should we be attacked. It takes great patience on our part and great courage on the part of the horses—the lions are natural enemies to them, normally seeing them as prey. The incident near the pass was a setback to the horses, as one of the lions went rogue. If you noticed our mounts were nervous while we rode toward the pass, but they held steady. The lions were pacing alongside us just out of our sight."
    "But the horses panicked."

    "Only when the lions began taking up pack hunting positions. The horses were experienced enough to know the lions were warning us away from the pass. Now, however, it's imperative to retrain them and get them used to traveling with the lions close by."
    "And the wraps on their hooves?"
    "For silence. We cured and stretched skins. Times are uncertain, and our valley is rich with food and treasure. Although the cliffs and the narrow pass protect us, too many have looked upon our valley with greed. So we train hard and often. We've